Thoughts on the travel industry

According to a new travel survey released today by Zagat, Virgin America is the carrier of choice for frequent flyers. The airline was named the poll’s top overall carrier for it’s coach and premium classes on both domestic and international routes. More than 8,000 frequent flyers were asked how well airlines delivered on comfort, service and food.

Other winners in the annual poll included:

•Continental Airlines, which ranked first of big U.S. airlines for coach and premium classes on domestic and international flights. Continental is merging with United Airlines.

•Southwest Airlines, which was cited for the best website of all U.S. and foreign airlines. On domestic routes, Southwest also was cited for the best value, the best luggage policy, the best check-in experience and the best on-time flight estimates for consumers.

•Singapore Airlines, which was named No. 1 for coach and premium classes on international flights.

•JetBlue Airways and Virgin Atlantic, which ranked No. 1 for in-flight entertainment for their respective domestic and international flights.

Other winners in the annual poll included:

- Continental Airlines – which ranked first among “big” U.S. airlines for coach and premium classes on domestic and international flights. Continental is merging with United Airlines.

- Southwest Airlines – which was recognized for the best website of all U.S. and foreign airlines. On domestic routes, Southwest also was cited for the best value, the best luggage policy, the best check-in experience and the best on-time flight estimates for consumers.

- Singapore Airlines – which was named number one for coach and premium classes on international flights.

- JetBlue & Virgin Atlantic – which ranked number one for in-flight entertainment for their respective domestic and international flights.

Here’s some more travel news you can use:

Earlier today, JetBlue unveiled its “Top Secret Sale” where you can book up to nine different vacation packages starting at $99 per person, including airfare and a 3-day hotel stay. Travel between Dec. 5-14, 2010. You pick the destination and the flight, JetBlue picks the hotel. Even though you can’t pick your hotel, the airline guarantees it is a three-to-five star hotel. Taxes and airline fees are extra.

Passengers on a Delta flight from Chicago to New York got an eye-full over the Thanksgiving weekend after an “emotionally disturbed” woman stripped naked and created a ruckus. As flight attendants tried to calm her down and cover her with blankets, she allegedly shouted, “No! No! No!” She was eventually taken into custody, but not charged.

Airlines are adding seats and flights, cautiously betting that the optimistic travel outlook the industry has had for much of the year will continue. Most carriers are adding seats by increasing the number of flights, or by moving to bigger planes. JetBlue has added the most with a 7.6% increase; and Delta has added 5%. With increased supply, there’s hope that cheaper airfares are on the horizon. If you’re planning to fly in 2011, this is a good year to track for airfare decreases with Yapta.